Getting your Household income assessed by Student Finance

How to apply for an income assessment

If you have an account for the relevant academic year, because you have taken out a fee loan or a non-means tested loan, you can request to be means tested. You and your financial sponsor(s) will need to send some forms to Student Finance. You do not have to take any loans if you do not want to do so and you can enter zero for the amount of loan requested.

• Visit SFE website - 'Include household income in your student finance application'
• Download 'Applying for student finance based on household income form' - this needs to be completed by you 
• Download 'PFF2 Assessment of financial circumstances for parents and partners of students' - this needs to be completed by your financial sponsor(s)
• If you do not want to take out the maintenance loan write on the form that you are requesting a full income assessment for bursary purposes only
• Return the completed forms together to the address on the form

Once the assessment has been completed we will automatically receive your household income details. 

If you have not previously applied for any loans for the current academic year you will need to make an application to Student Finance, you can do this online if you want to be means tested for loan purposes too, however if you do not wish to take out any loans then you will need to contact Student Finance by telephone to request the forms be sent to you.  

How to get your household income assessed without taking out a loan

You might not want to take out Student Finance loans to fund your study for religious or personal reasons.

However, if you are a UK  student, you may still want to apply for the University's Financial Assistance Fund (UFAF)

You must be means tested with SFE to be eligible for bursaries and financial assistance at the University of Hertfordshire, including UFAF.

You will need to submit a loan application to Student Finance and pass their eligibility checks. However, you will be able to specify you want a loan for £0 so you won’t borrow any money.

Student Finance can then carry out the HHI assessment and the outcome will be shared with University of Hertfordshire. 

To do this (UK students only):

1. Create an online Student Finance account and select that you would like to apply for a maintenance loan. Follow the steps of the application as if you were applying for the loan and provide all the necessary information.
2. When asked ‘Do you want to apply for the higher amount of Maintenance Loan? select ‘Yes, I want to apply for a higher amount of Maintenance Loan’. This lets Student Finance know to assess your household income.
3. Later, when asked ‘How much Maintenance Loan do you want to borrow?’ select ‘I want to borrow a specific amount’.
4. When you are asked to input the amount, type ‘NIL’. This lets Student Finance know that you are not taking out any loan.

When you have completed the application, your parents or partner will be asked to submit their household income information.

To make sure you are receiving the maximum assistance from SFE, we suggest you have your application means tested

This information is then shared with University of Hertfordshire.

For more information on Student Finance including the latest guidance, 'How to' guides and for further support, please go to the Student Finance Campaign website